Check-rower



(No Model.)

W. & J. ER'DWINS,

CHECK ROWER.

Patented Jan. 15, 1884.

NEED 1 STATES IVILLIAM ERDVVINS AND JOHN ERDWVINS, OF COMPROMISE,ASSIGNORS TO 0. B. SMITH, OF CHAMPAIGN CITY, ILLIXOIS.

CHECK- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 292,109, datedJanuary 15, 1884.

Application filed August 23, 1883.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM Ennwms and JOHN ERDWINS, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Compromise P. 0., in the county of Ohampaign,in Illinois, have jointly invented a new and useful Improvement inCheck-Rowers, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in check-row machines or check-rowattachments for planting-machines; and it consists in certain novelfeatures of construction, hereinafter described and claimed, andillustrated by the accompanying sheet of drawings.

Figure l of these drawings. is a top view of our check-rower shortenedby two breaks, withits moving parts in a central position. Fig. 2 is aperspective rear View at the middle of the machine or attachment on alarger scale. Fig. 3 is a small rear elevation at another point, showingthe connection with the droppingslide of the planter; and Fig. 4. is aperspective front view of certain other parts shown at (Z a in Fig. 1.

Like letters of reference indicate the same parts in the severalfigures.

V A pair of wooden bars, J J, parallel with the sides of the planter,and a main bar, it, also of wood, connecting the former, securelyboltedtogether and braced,as shown in Fig. 1, constitute the frame of ourcheck-row attachment or machine. The working parts, with their moreimmediate supports, as hereinafter described, are designed to be made ofiron, mostlyin malleable castings, except the one spring of the ma-'chine,whichmaybe of steel or brass wire. The

respective ends of sai d bars J are provided with laterally-projectingbrackets k 70', of which the brackets k at the front of the machinesupport inclined grooved pulleys 3 for taking up the knotted rope, whichis kept in the pulleys by a stud, w, on each bracket. The rearbrackets,]o support the customary pairs of hori zontal grooved pulleys0, for discharging the knotted rope onto the ground behind the machine.The customary pair of lever-forks Z, to engage with the knotted rope,project upward from beneath the lines of the latter (X0 model.)

about midway between said pulleys 3 and 0, being attached at their lowerends to the ex- 5o tremities of a rock-shaft, m, and constitutingtherewith the main operating part of the machine. This is connected withthe frame-bar n by four brackets, 19, Fig. 1,wl1ich forn1 jour-'nal-bearings for said rock-shaft, while stops w w on the latter,engaging with the sides of the brackets, prevent endwise displacement ofthe rock-shaft. Aspiral spring, h, stretched between the extremity of anarm on said rockshaft and an eyebolt on one of the bars J ef-. fects thereturn movements, which follow the releases of either of the lever-forksby successive knots, as hereinafter more fully set forth. A lever-arm,a, on the rockshaftm, at midlength, provides for transmitting motiontherefrom, and here begin those parts of our machine in which patentablenovelty is claimed. Said lever-arm, as best seen in Fig. 4, isconstructed with a pivotal upper end, upon which aknuckle-piece, d, isswiveled. This knucklepiece is drilled to receive said upper end of thelever-arm u, and is provided in front thereof, and at right anglesthereto, with a hole, 2 to receive a transverse pivotal bolt, 22, tocomplete the connection with the rock-shaft 7 5 m of alaterally-swinging push-finger, c, the front end of which is bifurcatedand drilled to embrace the knuckle-piece d and receive said bolt 27. Thesides of the knuckle-piece within the fork have been made convex and thehole ivertically elongated, as shown, topermit a slight rocking motionof the push-finger in a vertical plane at right angles to that of therock-shaft; but this in practice is found to be nnessential. The rearend of said push-finger 8 5 c is provided with a downwardly-projectingstud-pin, which works in the slot of a peculiarly-constructetintermittent mover, as it may be termed, composedof two parts, I) a,united by bolts 00, so as to move together, and pivoted by a verticalbolt, 2, to the rear extremity of a bracket, 6, which in turn is boltedto the bottom of said frame-bar n, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2.The bracket 6, as shown in Fig. 1, was slotted to render it ad- 5justable backward and forward; but this is right angles to theperforated transmittingarm of the part a, with rearward extensions ornotches equidistant from the axis of the pivotal bolt .2 at itsrespective extremities. It is partly masked above by saidtransmitting-arm, which projects across the paths of the pushfinger,being sufficiently elevated to prevent.

interference by means of heels or downward projections at its rearextremities, through which the bolts 00 pass, as seen in Fig. 2. Thispart a is of Y shape, and its third end orstem is the said perforatedtransmitting-arm, which performs its main function in. transmittingregulated motion through a horizontal rod, f, a vertical lei er, 9,Figs. 1 and 3, a second hor izontal rod, 0*, and a suitable coupling, 8,to the shake-bar or dropping-slide t of the planter, to which thecheck-rower is attached. Said vertical lever g is pivoted to abracket,q, bolted to the back of the frame-bar n, and its respective extremitiesare provided with strokeregulating holes, as clearly seen in Fig. 3. Therod 1" will be suited to each style of planter upon which thecheck-rower may be used.

The operation and advantages of. our mechanism above described may bestated as follows: The parts do not in practice rest at any time in thecentral positions in which, for convenience, they are shown in thedrawings, the spring h acting to turn the rock-shaft m, so that thelever-forks ll project forward at an angle of about forty-five degreesto the perpendicular when at rest, and this movement of said rock-shaftserves also, by means of said pivotal arm a, knuckle d, cross-pivot 'v,and push-finger c, to draw the stud-pin of the latter (seen in Fig. 2)into the foremost end of the slot in said part b of said intermittentmover, the latter having been left at a corresponding angle at its lastprevious actuation. Supposing the checkrower attached to a corn-planter,and the parts at rest, with the pin of said push-finger in the lefthandend of the slot of the intermittent mover, as seen in Fig. 1, at thenext contact of a knotwith either of the lever-forks ZZ these will becaused to move relatively to the frame J n J until they projectrearwardly with reference to the perpendicular at an angle of aboutforty-five degrees. During this movement the rock-shaft m, through itspivotal arm a, knuckle d, and cross-pivot 1;, will give the push-fingerca longitudinal thrust biased only at the outset, owing to thiscombination of parts,- by the direction in which said push fingerprojects. Its pin will thus be caused to enter the notch at theleft-hand end of the slot in the example, and being held by this notchagainst deflection, it will act on the lefthand wing of said part b,oscillating the intermittent mover upon its pivot 21, and through thetransmitting-arm of its part a, together with the said rod f, lever 9,rod r, and coupmoving the shake-bar or slide it of the planter to theleft-hand end of its stroke and dropping two hills of corn. At the endof this operation said knot escapes from the lever-fork, and theretracting-spring h instantaneously brings again to a condition of restsaid moving parts, to and including the pushfinger 0, beyond which theeffect of said spring does not extend. Its first effect on saidpushfinger is to draw its pin from the notch with which it was engagedinto contact ,with the smooth front wall of the slot, along which itglides to the opposite extremity of the slot, where it is in position toenter the right-hand notch, into which it is thrust, and within which itacts when the next knot is reached by the working lever-fork and whileit remains therein, and thus the operations proceed. The completion ofeach return-stroke of the push-finger is insured by the favorabledirection of the slot and the momentum of the loose pushfinger. Nosprings are required or used, except the single retractingspring, andits work is rendered very light, while the planting movements are allpositive movements, effected by the knotted ropeas directly as possible,and consequently with the utmost uniformity.

The moving parts are believed to be of peculiar simplicity and freedomfrom liability to become inoperative for any reason.

The slotted part b, particularly-which is the part requiring thegreatest nicety of 7 construction with reference to the describedantomaticaction, and is, moreover, subjected to the most wearingstrainsis adapted by its distinctness and its simple form, ashereinbefore set forth, to be readily made with special reference toworking freely and resisting wear, while the peculiar combination ofparts in said knuckle-joint u d t is considered of great importance,owing to the required free and eccentric, and at the same time positive,motions of the push-finger c, which it provides for faultlessly,obviating the use of additional springs and other complicationsheretofore considered essential. Having thus described our saidimprovement in check-rowers, we claim as our invention and desire toprotect under this specification- 1. The combination, in a check -rower,of the within-described intermittent mover, havingaverticalpivot, z, andcomposed of rigidlyunited parts a b, constructed, the former withelevating-heels and a rearwardly-projecting transmitting-arm, and saidpart b with a straight or substantially straight slot at right angles tothe line of said arm, and having rearward extensions or notches at. itsrespective extremities, and the push-finger c, adapted'to engage withsaid part 7) within its respective notches alternately, substantially asherein specified, for the purposes set forth.

2. In the Within-described check-rower, the 5 combination of thehorizontal rock-shaft m, constructed with an upright pivotal lever-arm,u, the knuckle d, swiveled on said arm, the horizontal cross-pivot 11,passing through said knuckle, and the loosely swinging and gravi- 1otating push-finger c, bifurcated and drilled to

